Around and Around in Konya

It was early morning as we packed the family into our car for a long drive to Konya, home of the “Whirling Dervish”. What exactly is a Whirling Dervish you may ask? Well we were not to sure either since the only time we had heard this term before, was perhaps to describe Colleen selling realestate, or Natalie cooking for a dinner party, so we were a little curious to say the least.

Coincidentally, it seemed that we were arriving for the festival of Whirling Dervishes, so, based on our only frame of reference, we were assured of an impressive spectacle of Turkish men wielding pots, pans as they try to sell us carpets (we now realize that normally Turkish men only wield glasses of tea as they play cards, but they will always know someone that can do you a deal on a carpet).

Fortunately the Lonely Planet, our ever present companion and guide book, was able to shed some light on this unique religious group and we learned that the Dervish are a Muslim sect that whirl during worship to reach a trance like state.

After spending the morning learning more on this religious group, we assembled with the almost exclusively Turkish audience to take in the whirling. At the start of the ceremony, the Dervish solemnly stroll out in black cloaks and shed them (symbolising the shedding of earthly bonds) and begin to whirl around, and around, and around. With one hand facing up as they reach for heaven and one hand facing down as they hold onto their mortality, on they whirl …. for over an hour they twirl around and around. Putting themselves and the audience in a trance or to sleep. A very relaxing experience to say the least.


We have a much longer video, but I think you get the idea.

The whirling over, we decided to have an early dinner and some wine at our hotel, but having a wine or beer in Konya highlights this city's other reputation. No alcohol! It took some searching and questioning, but we eventually found a small place down a side street that would sell us the much frowned upon fluids. It felt like we were trying to score some hard drugs!

A family dinner of bread, chiselled pastrami (thanks Amir and Adrian for the hard work) and goat skin wrapped cheese finished a unique day.

Two more blogs until we reach Australia!

We hope everyone at home has a safe and happy Christmas. Our thoughts will be with you all.

Castles Of Cotton

Turkey has highest accident rate in all of Europe, not surprising when you have people like this on the road: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpAaV5BqvTc . Fortunately we would be flying out of Istanbul, sparing us from the hazards of belly dancing cab drivers! The driving was inevitable though, and the next day we set out from Izmir with fear in our hearts. Fortunately our rental car had an Evil Eye built into its model logo, so we would be protected from dangers (at least the ones coming from behind!).
We arrived in Selcuk and navigated our way to our home for the next couple of nights. Considerably cheaper than Istanbul, we were able to find a room here for $20 a night- breakfast and shower included. Hot water? Well that was another story, but at least we got it working the second morning. At breakfast we were surprised to find a familiar face; Amir, an outgoing New Yorker who we had briefly met on a ferry ride in Istanbul, was also a guest at our hotel! Amir then introduced us to Adrian and Gabrielle, a couple from Malaysia that he had also met at the hotel. The five of us set out to see the nearby ruins of Ephesus. Yes, more Roman ruins!
That afternoon, we discovered Amir’s penchant for geo-caching, and found ourselves climbing the mountain behind Ephesus in search of a box that we would never find, but it was all worth it to take in the panoramic view of the valley. (Geo-caching is the activity of finding a hidden treasure using a GPS device, usually in picturesque or interesting locations).
Over breakfast the second morning it was decided that we would all travel to Pamukkale together, and thus our family was born (family for the next five days at least). Thanks to Amir’s GPS and four backseat drivers, we arrived in a tidy two hours and checked in to the Four Seasons Pamukkale. Luxury? I think not, check out the picture.

Pammukale translates literally into “cotton castle”. Calcium-rich hot springs have created the snowy white “castle” or travertines with their unique patterns of deposits. The rippled and cratered surface more resembled the set of a 60’s sci-fi flick than a castle.
Of course the Romans discovered this miracle of nature too, as evidenced by the nearby ruins of their “spa city”. After warming our toes we wandered the ruins, hoping to find the Plutonium, a spring dedicated to Pluto (God of the underworld) that gives off toxic vapours. Our explorations were terminated when the last sliver of daylight slipped away (and it started to get bloody cold!).

Back at the “One Season Hotel” (renamed by us due to its chilly rooms) we gathered in the common room hoping to glean some warmth, or at least to numb the chill with some wine. Adam and Amir both challenged our host to a couple games of backgammon. The wager… wine and beer of course! The well worn backgammon board foreshadowed our boys’ resounding defeat.

Fortunately, we all ended up sharing the winnings anyway.

Istanbul (not Constantinople)

We have a special treat for this entry. Our guest bloggers from Vancouver, Kelvin and Chris offered, (after some pressure) to craft this account of their visit with us.
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Baaaahh to Istanbul!

If you like eating lamb, this is paradise. Lamb kababs, lamb soup,

lamb in Boraks, lamb Baklavas (seriously), lamb everywhere. Non-lamb eaters resorted to vegetarian dishes such as chicken – yes, chicken is considered a vegetable in Turkey.

Welcome to the first (and probably only) guest installment of the Jen & Adam Adventures Blog! Most Excellent, dudes! Don't worry – everything we learned about writing, grammerization and blogging, we learned from Lisa (see previous blog entries).

So… We went to some touristy stuff. it was cool. Really, just look at the pictures. We'll try to just hit the most important stuff; namely drinking and nakedness (Kelvin refused to partake in the
nakedness because he wasn't allowed to join Jen in the ladies section of the Hamam… and because he wanted to "stay dirty", so Adam and Chris relayed the censored version of their experience).

The bath experience was remarkable. But, we have to say, there was much more nudity over in the women's side. Anyway, picture a large, ex- Eastern Bloc Olympic wrestling team member pummeling you and then scratching you with 50grit sandpaper. It's kind of like that,
but with more soap bubbles. This is all capped off by the complimentary underwear, which is fortunate since we would have had to change ours after that experience (if we had any on in the first place).

Drinking the local Effes beer became the regular pastime, with the occasional glass of wine. Definitely no hard stuff, which is taxed heavily as we found out after happening upon a locals' bar out of the tourist district. (It's easy to spot when you leave the tourist districts; the piles of burning garbage and crumbling buildings are a dead giveaway) Jen was a hit at the bar, being the only woman there. Actually, the only woman to be seen within a 5 block radius.

Istanbul is a fascinating city even without the booze and baths. Folks are generally very friendly and helpful, and while they'll drive a hard bargain, upsell, or overprice merchandise, there's no cheating.

And then there's all the amazing history of a city situated with one side in Europe and the other in Asia. The regular melody of the call to prayer blaring through loudspeakers all over the city, and the domes of the mosques perched on the many hills of the city are sounds and sights that will not be forgotten.

This was certainly a memorable trip; Istanbul is a city full of character and life! We had an amazing time and we're so glad to have been able to share a week with Adam and Jen in their trek (almost) around the world! We thank you… "from the Hut!".

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Thanks for the blog Kelvin and Chris. But a few pictures need some explaination.

• (1) Yes that is Kelvin sticking his finger into a hole in the Mosque. It has the reputation of curing you of your ailments if it was moist.
  
  
• (2) This is Chris at the Grand Bazzar trying out his new Hockey Helmut


• (3) The boys behind bars.


• (4) One of the largest and perhaps most beautiful Mosque's in the world, Sultan Ahmet Mosque
  
  
• (5) Fish for sale along the bridge. (Who knows what chemicals they contain from the water)
  
  
• (6) Chris buying spices and Turkish Delight at the Spice Bazzar
  
  
• (7) Spices at the Spice Bazzar
  
  
• (8) Team sporting the latest "Evil Eye" glasses. Used to keep away evil thoughts.

A little monkey business in Gibralter

Heading down the coast to Mallaga would bring us within striking distance of Gibralter. Having heard so much about the infamous rock, we couldn’t resist a visit. A couple of hours and we were crossing the border into a tiny piece of British territory. Marks and Spencer, fish and chips, and Pounds rather than Euros… all we were missing was the queen.

We took the cable car to the top of the rock to admire the views and hoping to catch a glimpse of the Barbary Macaques that live on the rock. It turns out these tail-less monkeys are not so elusive after all. In fact we had a couple of “close” encounters with them. One ended up with me dragging a particularly large male down the street as he tried to pry open my handbag. He managed to get in before I could break away. Fortunately he was more interested in my apple than my credit cards! In Adam’s case it was the pen that was clipped on his bag. He eventually got it back but not before the monkey scratched his bum with it.

There was one guy that we had pegged as a prime target from the moment he stepped off the gondola. His backpack was unzipped, plastic bags hanging out (the monkeys associated plastic bags with food and there are signs everywhere emphasizing this) and he reached over and tried to pat the first monkey he saw, a large male, on the head. Fortunately his foolishness made for great entertainment and we had the camera poised and ready. Check it out:

After we had our fill of the monkeys we watched a fabulous sunset and then hit one of the British pubs for fish n’ chips before crossing the border for our last night in Spain.

Hello Mudda , hello Fadda, life is bedda in Granada

Not knowing what to expect of Granada, we picked up our friend Robert who flew over from Ibiza to meet us for the 200km drive to town.
Turns out that Granada is a fascinating crossroads of different cultures. Morroccan tea houses, Islamic bathhouses, Andalusian Flamenco houses, and Moorish Sultan houses (okay palaces) leave you wondering if you’re really still in Spain. The smorgasboard of sounds does little to answer the question, replying with the rhythm of bongo drums competing with the melodies of flamenco guitar against the background of church bells. Plazas filled with dancing gypsies and dreadlock clad bohemians contribute to the colourful nature of this town.
Eager to partake in the energy of the city we kicked off the night with some fabulous wine and “the best tapas in town”. We also discovered why so many students live in Granada, as long as you are drinking you will be fed, what student wouldn’t love that! The ordering process required shouting in Spanish over a crowd three deep and then elbowing your way to the bar to claim your plate of complimentary goodies before somebody else scooped it up. Normally we would’ve been a little intimidated at this prospect but we had a secret weapon – Robert! After our fill of food and wine, we moved onto a few other venues, finishing in the wee hours of the morning. Knowing that Robert lives in the party capital of the world and is far more accustomed to this lifestyle, we were proud to find that we were not the only ones hurting the next morning! Not that it stopped a repeat performance the next night that included some live Flamenco in a tiny smoke filled basement “cave”. We didn’t think human limbs could move that fast!
Of course we did some “official” sightseeing as well. Granada is home to the UNESCO world heritage site called “the Alhambra” former address of the Sultan of the Moors that settled here until Islam was pushed out by the Christians. The palace is sumptuously decorated in Oriental style with no shortage of intricate details and impressive water features. If that wasn’t enough, the Sultan also had an equally magnificent Summer palace a short walk away through the gorgeous gardens. All of this makes Charles V’s digs (built later on the site) look a little ordinary if you can believe it!
If you want to see more or even take a video tour check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra

All in all, this town of bongo playing, bohemian university students; ancient buildings; and Flamenco, was a fantastic stop and a great place to meet up with a (Spanish speaking) friend.
Robert, have a good winter in Chamonix and with some luck, we might just see you there for some skiing next year!

Orange ya excited to hear about Valencia?

Ok so the headings just keep getting worse. But we just can't seem to stop ourselves!

With our Eurail pass set to expire, we rode a last train from Madrid to Valencia. With beautiful architecture and a slower pace than Madrid, Valencia provided a great backdrop for an evening stroll. We ended up finding a popular Basque-style tapas restaurant where we were happy to save ourselves from menu interpretation, and the staff from our Spanglish. Simply grab the tooth pick skewered food you want to dine on, keep the picks and present them at the end for your bill. Yum!

Absorbed in architecture and shopping, we didn’t hit the road until the afternoon of the following day. This meant arriving in Javea after dark for our much anticipated stay at our friend Johan’s house. With 3 bedrooms, a swimming pool, English TV, and laundry facilities to ourselves, it seemed like a sprawling palace after living in hotel rooms for the last few months. We joked that perhaps we should push the television into the bedroom and stay holed up in there for familiarity’s sake.

Javea is predominantly a sunny retreat for Brits that want to get away from the English weather, or are retired. So as if in England, we visited a local pub, (while “borrowing” some internet). The patrons seemed to enjoy a chat and we soon learnt much of local life and why this place was so popular. The woman running the bar, (having consumed her fair share of drinks) doesn’t bother keeping track of things, so when closing, everybody’s bar tab miraculously amounts to 12 euros’s!!?

We had hoped to stay for a week, but with our time in Spain running short, we cut our stay to only 3 days of luxury. We did however make excellent use of the laundry, the sun, and had a fantastic Thai dinner with Johan’s friends, Alan and Rosie.

Departing Javea, we turned on our laptop and GPS map software to get us to Alicante. This technology has saved us from many an argument as we navigate tiny un-named medieval streets, but this particular day it chose to take us to the highway via a rather bizarre route through a river, then along small roads weaving amongst the orange groves. After a little confusion, smiles from the local kids, and some good laughs, we were on our way.

Thanks Chandra, Johan, Alan and Rosie for setting this up. And we hope to see you all in Vancouver sometime!

Plane crash in Turkey

We heard today that a plane crashed not far from where we are in Turkey. We just wanted to let everyone know that we are safe and sound.

Market Mayhem in Madrid

In Madrid, all roads lead to the Plaza del Sol, discovering this early in our stay made navigating much easier! We had become accustomed to the late night rhythm of Spanish life, going out for dinner at around 10pm and not getting home until the early hours. Despite the chilly nights, we had beautiful crisp sunny days in which to explore the city. Good thing because most of our explorations were outdoors. Madrid has a ton of green space including a large urban park reminiscent of central park in NYC. Our hotel was sandwiched between the palatial gardens and botanical gardens, so we took advantage of this and managed to get out jogging a couple of times (gotta keep the tapas off the waistline). The chilly nights also forced us to do a little shopping since we not prepared for the almost zero temperatures.
We toured the royal palace with its resplendent throne, ballrooms and ancient Spanish apothecary, (the royal family moved out some years ago because they felt the palace was a little over the top). Our wanderings also led us to some fun dining experiences, and oddly enough, a girl living in a small plexiglass box on one of the busiest corners in the city. After some research it seemed the girl is a violinist who was to live in the box for a week and compose a piece to play upon her release. The box contained a small kitchen, a bed, and a bathroom that was even transparent from the knees down- poor girl!

We were lucky to be around for the Sunday market “El Rastro”, which translates literally into “the stain”. The market street used to be the bottom of a hill of butcher shops and the blood that ran down the streets made a stain. It stretches out for many blocks and is now the largest flea market in Europe with everything from gas masks to underwear! After the market, families pour into the surrounding bars to drink vermouth together. I’m sure it makes Sunday dinner a lot more interesting!

Oh, and Adam finally got out for a haircut (in case you hadn’t noticed in more recent pics he was starting to sport a bit of a 70’s do).

Adios Madrid, “all aboard” the train for Valencia.

Oh my Gaudi!

You certainly don’t need to look very hard to find a good time in Barcelona, or in any Spanish city we were soon to discover. A quick flight from Rome and a smooth hotel check-in found us soaking up the nightlife within a couple of hours of arrival! The night started off with a great bottle of Spanish wine and some tasty tapas. A Spanish tradition, the word tapa means lid, this comes from medieval times when innkeepers would put a little snack (lid) on top of the glass of beer or wine that the horsemen would drink. This “lid” was dual purpose, it kept the bugs out of the drinks and kept the horsemen from getting too loaded before setting out to the next village.
Tapas come in a huge range but you can almost always count on jamon (ham), octopus, fried sardines, and patatas bravas (potatoes with spicy sauce) being on the roster for any given place.
Cave-dwelling, volcano climbing, and sheltering from the rain for the previous couple of weeks, we were overdue for a night out! So with our full bellies we set out on an exploration of the many great little watering-holes that pepper the center of town. We ended up meeting a couple of ex-pats from New Jersey and Coventry who ever so kindly gave us a ton of insider tips on Barcelona and even augmented our tourist map to include their favourites! It was most entertaining to hear their stories of adapting to the Spanish lifestyle. Diane and Sandra if you happen to read this thanks for the great company, tips, and for pouring us into a taxi at the end of the night!

Armed with our revamped tourist map and a hangover, we were off to see the sights the following day. This is where I will have to exercise some self control and not go into a huge blabbering speel about Gaudi… we had been warned by our newfound friends that Barcelona might find us “Gaudied out”. In short, Gaudi was one of the masterminds behind the birth of the moderniste style of architecture that is seen all over Barcelona. To enter one of his creations is like walking through a dream, a hybrid between organic, nature inspired forms and Alice in Wonderland zaniness but not as gaudy as it sounds (pardon the pun). Every detail was carefully created right down to the banisters and window and door hardware which are molded perfectly to the grip of a human hand. It really is genius and can only be seen to be believed. Hopefully some of the pictures will help. The last and largest of Gaudi’s works is the Sagrada Familia church, which is still under construction 80 years after his death. Look at the picture of the ceiling, which Gaudi modelled after a forest. It is amazing how the columns

resemble tree trunks and the skylights mimic the way the light shines through the forest canopy. BRILLIANT!! Check out the photo album if you want to see more pics. Despite the warnings we gorged ourselves on Gaudi and miraculously we didn’t end up “Gaudied out”! Just in case you want some more professional pictures and info:
http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Antonio_Gaudi.html

We also managed to fit in visits to the Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso exhibits and of course, no visit to a city is complete without a market excursion! Not surprisingly, in such an artistic city, even the produce market is gorgeous! Perfectly ripe fruit is carefully arranged in pyramids and there are fresh juices in a multitude of different combinations- also contributing to the flashy display. We quickly learned that when window shopping at the market it is best to steer clear of the butcher stands… too many heads, still attached to animals and sometimes just heads on their own.

The only thing I didn’t like about Barcelona? Leaving! Oh what a perfect ending that would’ve been, but it just jogged my memory… leaving and pickpockets!
We actually witnessed an attempted pickpocket. We didn’t understand what was happening when we got on the metro and there was an older man yelling at a younger man and holding on to him. When the doors closed we saw the man’s wallet on the floor, I grabbed it and returned it to him and then each of the men just retreated to opposite sides of the train and stood there in silence until the thief could get off at the next stop… no more yelling or abuse, they didn’t even look at each other!?
On another occasion on the metro, our suspicions were raised when three people unnecessarily crowded us when there was space elsewhere. We later read that this is a common tactic for thieves, but fortunately we had held on tight to our belongings and the group exited at the next stop empty handed.
An overall positive experience in Barcelona, in fact it is one of our favourite cities so far and we look forward to returning.

Rome If You Want To

Rome, the bustling capital and our last destination in Italy. So what did we do in Rome? Well most of all we attempted to stay dry. It rained four of our five days, and at times pelting down so hard that it was beat through the fabric of our umbrellas. Consequently, we didn’t go out more than we needed; but during the dry periods we did get around to the mandatory sights.

Since we are a bit behind on our chronology, here is a snapshot of Rome:

The Colosseum was as you would expect, spectacular.

Hard to imagine the thousands that died for entertainment. We snapped this picture of a couple of gladiators in the subway on their way home from work.

The Roman Forum is much larger than we had imagined and much too large to explore in the short bursts of sunshine we received. But we tried.

The Pantheon exceeded expectations because frankly, we didn’t have any. This Roman temple turned Christian church is remarkably well preserved, at least on the inside.

The Vatican was a zoo. Every day thousands walk through these buildings and initially I didn’t know how they managed to get that many people through. Once we finally made it inside their method became obvious….. we were herded through the halls like cattle past artistic treasures. The “shush” police in the Sistine Chapel were particularly amusing as they attempted to stop the throngs of people from talking and snapping pictures.

We also managed a glimpse of the Pope-meister during a couple of public addresses.
St. Peter's Basicila is spectacular. No other way to describe it.

Of course if you want to know the detail behind any of these places, our intrepid travelling companion Lisa chronicled Rome far better than we ever could, and she had better weather to do it in when she passed through town a month earlier. Check it out at http://lisafukushimablog.blogspot.com/2007_09_16_archive.html

As a footnote, when we are sightseeing, we always work on the proven theory that if you need lunch, never eat near a monument; but Rome having so many tourists seeing so many sights, took this to a new level. It seems that no matter how hard we tried, or how far we walked from any monument, our lunches were fraught with bad food, bad service, or both.

Before we knew it, we were on our way to the airport and destined for Spain. Time to learn a new language and give up the pizza.

Rome sweet Rome!

Setting out from Stromboli before sunrise, we had 26 hours of travel ahead of us before we would reach Rome. It was this day that my sinus cold chose to unleash it’s full wrath upon me. Deciding to play it safe we took the big, slooooowww ferry to Sicily where we would catch our overnight train to Rome. The big beast would be more reliable in the heavy seas but would take a lot longer than the hydrofoil (5 hours vs. one and a half).
Finally arriving in the Sicilian town of Messina, we had eight hours to kill before we boarded the train. Exploring the town laden with our packs was marginally less appealling than camping out in the diner of the train station (the headache and snotty nose tipped the scales in favor of the station). Besides, we had unlimited entertainment courtesy of the inebriated patrons from the nearby park wandering in to use the facilities.

Adam took on "mission impossible" by going on a search for sinus potion and Kleenex for me. Not an easy feat considering it was a Sunday evening (most places were closed) AND all medications are only sold through the pharmacies in Italy. Fortunately, my knight in shining armour returned with some good drugs (of the legal kind… or that’s what he told me anyway) and the only Kleenex he could find – a bulk pack of the little purse-sized packets! Ahhhh, blissful drug induced grogginess, clear sinuses, and an endless bounty of nice soft Kleenex…. suddenly the Autogrill was the happiest place on earth.

Finally at midnight we got to climb aboard our sleeper train and curl up in our cozy little bunkbeds. We stayed awake just long enough to watch our train being loaded onto the ferry to make the crossing to the mainland. Very cool system I must say! The lowest ferry deck has train tracks on it and the train is broken up into smaller pieces for loading, the engine is at the rear of the train and pushes each segment onto the vessel. The more ferries we travel, the worse BC Ferries starts to look… can you imagine them dealing with trains? They have a hard enough time loading automobiles and getting from A to B without crashing. We do still have Asia ahead of us though… opinions can change.

We had a good laugh at the marketing pamphlet for Trenitalia that we found in our cabin. We couldn't resist posting it.

Yes, the passengers are quite delighted to be stacked three high; yes, they hire conjoined-twins to efficiently cater to your every need; and yes, the man in the bottom bunk is watching little birdies fly around his head after the door was slammed into it. High density train travel IS wonderful! I especially got a kick out of the guy in the crisp, wrinkle free suit in the middle bunk.

Despite having a lot more space, we certainly didn't look as polished as he does when we arrived in Rome bright and early Monday morning; nevertheless, we were thrilled to have a "home" again! Once we got settled in, we took advantage of the fact that we were finally in a metropolitan city and went for the ultimate ANTI-pasta… Indian food!

Less travel, more Rome in the next post...stay tuned!

Holy Stromboli!

We need not have bewildered over the schedules of the ferries that service Stromboli, for as we soon found out, Mother Nature decides when and if you will get there. The ferries do not adhere to the posted schedules, they simply seem to go when and if they are able. Despite the rough seas and the skepticism of one of the English speaking locals that we met at our transfer point, our hydrofoil successfully bumped it’s way along to Stromboli.

One of a smattering of small islands above the toe of the big boot Stromboli is home to an active volcano. We were first enticed by the idea of hiking up to the crater and camping overnight – an experience that we had read about in the Lonely Planet. As of 2004 when Stromboli let out a great big spew of lava, the government has decided to add volcanos onto it’s list of dangerous things, right underneath irons and toilets. This came in the form of tighter regulations regarding excursions to the crater such as limiting the number of visitors and duration of visits to the crater. This meant that not only would we be without an iron in Stromboli, but also we would not be camping out in the warmth of the lava flow. We did sign up for an excursion to the peak but there were not enough people signed up and the excursion was cancelled.
We decided to hike to the highest point that is permitted without a guide. Prior to our journey, Adam researched the injuries and deaths that have been attributed to Stromboli and reassured me that most of the injuries happen when people are running away from the explosions and falling debris (except for the guy that flung himself into the crater in a dramatic and successful suicide attempt- honest!)… I felt so much better knowing that my course of action should anything happen, would be to stand perfectly still and admire the wave of lava and hot rocks showering down around me. We hiked up to the observation level (about the equivalent of the Grouse Grind for you Vancouverites- only more rollercoaster up and downs). Although we could hear the explosions every 20 minutes or so, we could only see burps of steam in the sunlight. Once the sun had set, the sound effects were accompanied by visuals- clouds of pinkish red – gorgeous and definitely at a comfortable distance. Not only did we have a great display from the volcano but the moon was bright and full too.
We made our way down the mountain and warmed up and filled up in a little pizzeria at the base prior to embarking on the rest of the journey home.
As you would expect, the beaches of Stromboli are made of fine, black volcanic sand. The ultra blackness of the sand contrasts so sharply with all the other colours around it that even on a cloudy day the brightly coloured fishing boats, white vacation homes, and deep turquoise of the Mediterranean seemed superimposed. The ultimate find… the remains of some bizarre berry plant, all in monochromatic, fisher-price orange!